 The ability of fungi to adapt to different environments is known as metabolic flexibility. This is particularly important for candida albicans, a common cause of life-threatening infections in humans. The fungus can survive in various host environments by activating an enzyme called alternative oxidase, AOX, which is induced under certain conditions such as when the fungus is exposed to respiratory stress. Deletion of the AOX2 gene, which encodes the main AOX protein, reduces the fungus' ability to infect mice, suggesting that it plays a key role in its virulence. Researchers have identified several transcription factors that are involved in regulating the expression of the AOX2 gene, including RTG1, RTG3, 181, ZCF11, and ZCF2. These factors interact with the AOX2 promoter to control the expression of the gene and thus determine whether or not the fungus will be able to survive in a given environment. This article was authored by Shungla Liu, Pauline Basso, Saif Hossain, and others. We are article.tv, links in the description below.